Hard to believe this is only the third post in my unending series on “Things to do in Belleville, Ontario,” (And yes, there are far more “cultural” things you could do in Belleville, like go to boring places like the Glanmore House or the Frink Centre, but I’ll only turn to those once I exhaust a complete guide to things the locals actually do), so I’m already likely to peak with the greatest place to go and the greatest place to eat in the entire city, but here it is.
The Nova Deli.
The only place to get a “real” donair in Ontario.
Not that I’ve ever had a “real” donair from Canada’s east coast, but I hope to ratify that someday.
Anyways, a donair is pretty simple stuff: Take a pita, add some meat made out of 100% ground beef held together by soda cracker and spices (shipped from the east coast), add some cheese and some veggies, ladle on some of the sweet and sticky white sauce (secret recipe) and that’s it. Sounds a lot like a gyro, but totally different… there are lots of imitations of the east-coast donair, but none of them put together a fresh, juicy donair like the guys at the Nova Deli, who are all red blooded Nova Scotians.
I didn’t include more photos of the inside of the Deli, or the donairs themselves, because that is a pleasure I wish to let you find for yourself.
When you go there, depending on who is working, you’re likely to get a warm reception, and if you’re an old school regular (like myself), they’ll always remember your name, no matter how many months its been since you’ve been to the shop. It’s easy to find too: It’s more or less across the street from McDonald’s on North Front Street.
Donair toppings are sparse: I wouldn’t suggest ordering anything else but the TLC (tomato, lettuce and cheese). Other donair varieties include the “neat” version, which comes in a bowl, or a donair spread out on a bed of fries. Depending on their stock, you can also get donair sausages (frozen, and perfect for breakfast).
Sizes come in small, medium, large and beastie. Newbies should probably stick to the small, and I’m partial to a medium. As for the beastie, for size comparisons, it’s about the size of a pointy hand-ball. Once upon a time there used to be a hall of fame for those who could eat the entire thing in under 20 minutes. Don’t plan on eating anything else that day if you are attempting this… you’ll also need 2-3 cans of pop to help get all that beef down your gullet.
The hours are a little wonky, so be sure to call ahead to make sure they are open: the number is (613) 968-3357, and if you call ahead of time, you’ll have your donair there waiting for you as you brave North Front Street traffic (they make the donair fresh for every order).
Finally, this is how you eat it: Take your foil-covered donair, and hold it fold or pointy side “up” (if you are carrying donairs in the car, be sure to hold them all upright like so, so the sauce doesn’t go all over the place). Lift the fold or de-spiral the point. Next, tear the foil horizontally, from about 1/4 of the way down from the top of the donair, all the way around in one complete pull. Then, take that foil and fold it up against the bottom of the donair, like a reinforcement. DON’T take the donair out of the foil completely, you’ll just end up with a huge mess. As you eat your delicious donair, pull back a little foil at a time as needed, kind of like a banana. Near the end, you’ll have some pieces of meat that are totally soaked with grease and donair sauce… don’t be afraid, get your fingers in there are pull those bad boys out, as well as any leftover diced tomatoes or lettuce, and scarf them all down. Once your foil cup is free of all meat/veggies/bread, you should have a nice pool of sauce going on, which means there is one thing left to do: fold a little spout in the edge of the cup, and pour the rest of that sauce into your mouth — in one big slurp.
Don’t forget to use the hand wipes.
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